The handovers of the two most important trophies collected by Lionel Messi in the last 12 months were both supervised, effectively, by his bosses.
In Doha last December, as captain of Argentina, he lifted the World Cup cloaked in a bisht under the approving smile of the Emir of Qatar.
Messi was at the time employed by Paris Saint-Germain, majority owned by Qatar Sports Investments. On Monday in Paris, David Beckham, the former England, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG star presented Messi his eighth, record-extending Ballon d’Or.
Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami, Messi’s current employer. But most of those who have had Messi under contract over the past decade or so know that, in the teams he plays for, it’s Messi who is the real boss.